people celebrating the life of nelson mandela. the show of emotion on the streets of south africa is among the out pouring of reaction a day after the leader's death. we now learn about funeral services that will get the world's attention for days to come. the other big story is the weather. expect rain and falling temperatures. you see all the green on the storm team 4 radar this weekend. it could be ice and snow. good morning, everyone.

welcome to news 4 midday. it's friday, december 6th, 2o 13. just this morning we learn when nelson mandela will be laid to rest. we begin coverage at the live desk. >> the state funeral will be sunday december 15th. we have live pictures from johansburg outside where mandela lived. it is 6:00 in the evening there ago when mandela died, people have been gathering from outside his home singing and praying and leaving flowers and talking about what he means to the country. we got the details on how the week will move forward in terms of celebrating mandela's life. on this coming sunday, it is a national day of prayer and remembrance in south africa scheduled for the 8th. the memorial service, a large memorial service will be held on

december 10th. this will happen at the world cup soccer stadium in johansburg. he will lie in state at the official building there in south africa and again the official state funeral is scheduled for sunday the 15th in mandela's home village where he will be buried. he made it clear that that is where he wanted to be buried. that's the details at this point on the funeral we should mention that the ambassador here in washington holding a news conference where he will announce what activities will happen here in the united states and around the country. that's the latest from the live desk. back to you. >> thank you, aaron. leaders from around the world are offering condolences to the mandela family and south africa. here are a few of them.

>> it is extremely sad and tragic news. we are reminded what an extraordinary and inspiring man nelson mandela was. >> he lived in the simple principal of fighting discrimination and extraordinary struggle of all those years in prison. >> he laid the ground for an orderly political process. >> we lot of one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with here on this earth. >> we're honor the memory of nelson mandela here in d.c. you can leave tributes in front of the south african embassy. people have placed flowers at the base of the statue there. richard jordan can tell us about the people who are coming out today. >> visitors can go in the em bass tow sign a condolence book and leave a message until 4:00

today. at any time anyone can stop here in front of the embassy to the growing memorial. it was not the large crowd had that was initially expected because of the rainy weather, but people are expected to come through later today. >> the towering statue at the story of a memorial. many people drive past it. today it was difficult to keep going. >> i had to stope. i couldn't keep going without paying respects to a man who is such a great leader. >> earlier construction at the embassy kept mourners back. the small section of the chain link fence was taken out to allow visitors to leave flowers and candles. they are coordinating the memorials. he recalled leaving mandela when the two were jail and he never imagined his time behind bars would lead to the greatest moments of his life. >> one of the most cherished moments that for me ensures

however long i spent in prison, i would not exchange it for ten years of freedom. >> the south african embassy plans to celebrate mandela's where protesters once demanded his release from prison attribute his legacy. >> he came out of prison better, not bitter. that's almost unhuman to me. >> the ambassador said the public mourning shows his impact in the u.s. >> i was fortunate yesterday that nelson mandela phoned me ahead of time to tell me that he passed and she did that out of respect of the united states of america. >> i think the world lot of a great human. >> the ambassador said there will be a vigil in front of the embassy every night until tuesday night.

they are trying to make arrangements to see about a larger memorial that would happen later in the week. the announcement with all those details on expected to be released at the news conference at 1:30. live in northwest washington, news 4. >> howard universal is rescheduling the remembrance celebration supposed to take place at noon. the school is rescheduling it for next week to organize a bigger tribute. you can see this on mandela the next time you are on the campus that chronicles his and accomplishments on display through april. you can offer your condolences to his family at the national museum of african art. it has a book on display and will be there until next week. if you can't make it today, you can post messages on the website. we will have more on nelson mandela's death later this hour. our web team collected

statements on former presidents and you can read them on nbcwashington.com. tracking a storm that can bring us snow and ice this weekend. outside right now, rain is expected to last much of the day. amelia segal is here and joins us with the first midday forecast. good morning. >> the widespread rain moved in and it's here to stay through the evening hours. a wintry mix is likely on sunday. right now i'm tracking rain heavy in areas indicated by the yellows and oranges on storm team 4 radar in leesburg and portions of montgomery county. keep the rain jacket handy because there is much more rain that will continue to push through. not only the afternoon, but the evening as well. this could snow that evening commute. temperatures are in the 40s and low 50s. washington at 51.

leesburg at 45. where you are at is where you are going to stay for the rest of the afternoon. inside the beltway, temperatures remain in the upper 40s. chilly, wet, and damp. on sunday snow and freezing rain will be found over the area. they are coming up in about ten minutes. >> see you in a few minutes, the first family will kickoff the holiday season with the 91st national christmas tree lighting. thousands expected to attend. megan is live with more on what you should know before you head downtown. >> good morning, barbara. what you need to know and what you need to bring. as you can see it is raining out here. we are expecting moderate chilly rain at the time that the concert gets under way. you want to bring rain gear. you are even allowed to bring an

umbrella. take a look behind me. you can see the stage and hear the music. this is prerecorded because of the rain and the bad weather we are having. we don't have live performances going on at this moment. they have been out here tweaking things and we are expecting to see the acts get up on the stage soon. we talked to a few performers earlier and they say they are ready. rain rather than snow. but the holiday cheer still in abundance in this morning's rehearsal. it's a star studded lineup. this year's host -- >> speak of music -- >> jane lynch. among those performing, rolls royce. >> it's an honor for me. i think we are here to celebrate the holidays and celebrate life. >> the rainy weather will present challenges. >> the up right base and a banjo and guitar are very susceptible to the weather conditions.

>> it's a once in a lifetime experience. >> a few months ago we were on "america's got talent" and we were normal guys and now we are on the bill with mariah cary and a reeth franklin and performing for the president and it's surreal. >> up there on the stage, about to rehearse is joshua bell and renee fleming and they will have time to go through the section of the show. if you are coming out tonight, you have to have a ticket. there is no just showing up and looking for standing room only like you could years ago. everything is ticketed. you have to be in your seat by 4:30. the show itself gets under way at 5:00. there is a preshow at 4:30. if you bring an umbrella and you are allowed, here's the deal. you cannot open the umbrella in your seat. if you feel the need to use it, you have to get up and walk to a designated area where you will

be able to stand underneath your umbrella. the best bet is to wear rain gear. if you have a porchlgo or something with a hood, you can stay in your seat and enjoy the show. >> the tree lighting could make for a tough commute tonight. look at the streets that will be closed at 3:00 this afternoon. d.c. and u.s. park police will direct traffic away from 15th and 1235e7bth stree more than 3 bus routes could be delayed. bus stops will be closed in the tree lighting ceremony. new details about two scandals brewing right now. officer mark washington appeared in court yesterday. he is charged with taking nude photos of a 15-year-old girl while he was on duty. prosecutors say he found hundreds of pictures on his camera from crime scenes showing victims of domestic violence and

naked girls. another officer is on desk duty being questioned about whether he gave washington a heads up that he was about to be arrested. a third officer is being investigated in connection with a possible prostitution ring involving teenage girls. he has not been changed at this time. right now the three companies hoping to build a casino in prince george's county are making a pitch to the committee. that committee is grilling the gaming companies at a hearing right now. mgm wants to build a casino and penn national gaming wants to build at rose croft raceway and greenwood racing is for a casino in port washington. we will find out the winning bid about two weeks from today. big gapes on wall street after an upbeat jobs report. the unemployment rate is at a five-year low we are learning. we are watching the weather. morning commutes from oklahoma to kansas have been tough after

a winter storm hits. we will look at which areas can expect the most snow and ice. our 12 days of giving. today a look at how you can help a local organization that is helping veterans. stay with us. we'll be right back.

. at the news 4 live desk, we have new video as the world continues to mourn the death of else in an mandela. people who live in the community are going if to to a mandela statue outside the high commission, crying and laying flowers as well. during prayers today in tehran and iran, the leader and the cleric spoke of nelson mandela. that was the headline in roam as

people were gathering for prayers. the pope released a statement and sent a telegram saying in part he hopes that the late president's example will inspire generations of south africans to put justice and the common good at the forefront. from india to australia all the way to russia. people are remembering nelson mandela and the impact he had on the communities around the globe. welcome back to you. >> the country's unemployment level dropped to the lowest level in years. they lowered the rate from 7.3 to 7%. the latest report said during the month of november, the country added more than 200,000 jobs, about 20,000 more than economists hoped for. we are getting a mixed look at the unemployment looks here in the area. "the washington post" said the jobless rate in washington area is well below the national

average, however the unemployment rate rose in october. it ticked up slightly from 5.4 to 5.6%. experts believe the 16-day shut down contributed to that. the strongest growth came from the leisure and hospitality sector. hillary clinton is being honored and receiving the 2013 human rights prize. here's a live look at the event right now on capitol hill as we speak. the lantos foundation is honoring her for promoting human rights for women around the world. >> more than 1,000 flights have been canceled outside of dallas ft. worth because of the storm that issing right now and impacking more than just air travel. scenes like this played out over and over the midwest and in the

south too. rain combined with freezing temperatures made driving difficult for drivers. dylan drier has more on this icy blast. >> the arctic blast moving across the nation is bringing a dangerous mix of snow and ice. overnight it brought near white out conditions, icy roads responsible for jackknife trucks and car accidents in oklahoma city. >> it's best to stay home. if you do get out prepare yourself you might have a slide off and it may take a while to get to you. >> over a dozen vehicles slid off the highway. how cold it was? cold enough to freeze this car door shut. >> for won't open. it's completely frozen. >> they ordered up additional vehicles to treat the roads. >> what would you people? >> drive careful and be aware of what's around you. >> freezing temperatures in the west are threatening the $2

billion citrus industry in central california. >> this is night two and we have a storm coming saturday morning which is probably going to bring snow to the valley floor. >> amelia segal joins us now and we have cold on the way. >> cold and rain and on sunday we will be dealing with a wintry mix for the rest of today. a chilly rain into the evening hours. i think the rain could impact the commute home. radar showing heavy activity now in fairfax through prince william county and heavier indicated by the yellows and oranges. now is a great day to download the weather ap. not only are we tracking rain today and you can see that on the ap, but as we continue to update the forecast of that wintry mix on sunday. as we take the picture out, you can see a lot of rain has to make its way through our area. again this rain continues not

just into the afternoon hours, but the evening and afternoon hours. widespread rain heavy at times continues through the evening hours. you are planning ongoing to the national christmas tree lighting tonight, definitely bring the poncho. rain starts to come to an end overnight by saturday. it is going to be the calm before our next system moves in. temperatures right now in the 40s and 50s. 50 in camp springs and in washington. 45 in rockville and 45 in leesburg. wherever you are at is pretty much where you are going to remain for the rest of the afternoon hours. you might drop a couple of degrees. the temperatures have come down from this morning. let's talk about sunday. here we are in future weather. sunday morning it's dry and cloudy skies across the area. look at what starts to happen. snow starts to overspread the area that includes inside of the beltway. once the snow starts to head

north, we start to see freezing rain moving in in the afternoon hours around 3:30 here on future weather. notice southern maryland seeing rain and northern maryland seeing a lot of snow. again as we work into the evening, freezing rain across the area. especially along this i-95 corridor and areas to the west. we think there will be ice in the areas. southern maryland is seeing the rain. temperatures continue to warm overnight. as temperatures warm, most areas see freezing rain transition over to all rain, but notice still pockets here back to the west continuing to see freezing rain. our biggest concern is going to be for areas west of the d.c. metro picking up snow and ice on top of that. here's the storm team four, four-day forecast. a high of 43 and sunday is that wintry mix that starts as snow and transitions to freezing rain

during the late afternoon and evening hours and most areas see a change over to all rain overnight sunday into monday. that monday morning commute could be tricky for areas to the west of the district. a high temperature on monday of 48 degrees. for tuesday, a slight chance of lingering rain. wednesday we are cold, but finally dry with a high of 34. next time you see me, i will be talking about how much snow you could expect and how much ice you can expect. the preliminary amounts and again i will be talking about that outside. >> we are anxious to hear if it's going to stick. >> i think it will. >> we will talk about that coming up. >> changes could be coming to the mental health system and we continue the coverage on the death of nelson mandela. how the news reached members of his family. the extravagant gift for the coffee lover in your life. you will have a chance. first here's a look on nbcwashington.com.

one of the most coveted holiday items is going on sale at noon. the limited edition metal starbucks card will go on sale at guilt.com. only 1,000 were made. if you want one, be prepared to hand over $450. it has $400 ready to be spent. they made 5,000 cards all of which sold out in about six minutes. forget self control, science is to blame with why people can't turn down chocolate. in pisa, italy they found some people are hard wired to love the taste of chocolate. the reason is that for some

people their brain's pleasure center is set into a state of euphoria when they eat chocolate. all other people's brains barely register the taste. tributes continue to pour in for nelson mandela. from the funeral a rangements to the street side memorials. how they're remembering the former leader. you can see all the color on radar. we will show you the radar and the latest timeline on when and what to expect in the weekend. you can look at the sky and see we have nasty weather out there. after the military. how a local organization is

>> i cherish the idea of a new south africa where all south africans are equal.

>> that was nelson mandela on april 27th, 1994. that was the day he was elected south africa's president. april 27th is now a national holiday there. today many south africans gathered outside mandela's home to mourn and celebrate the life of the man they call the father of their nation. >> the news was announced late south african time last night before midnight. many millions of south africans are waking up to the news that the father of this nation has passed away. hundreds of them are coming to the suburban mansion where he spent many of his final years. the mood here is not somber. there have been very few tears shed. we were coming to celebrate his life. to celebrate the lives they had been able to lead because of his

sacrifice. >> he spent 27 years in prison. just to give to the people what freedom means. >> many of the people are wondering what happens now. we expect details later today of a lying in state and expect details of a barrier and we talked about a diplomat who is familiar with the plans that this might be perhaps the biggest burial of the former national leader since that of winston churchill. nbc news, johansburg. >> south africa's president is calling if are a day of reflection and prayer this sunday. a memorial service will be held on tuesday. mandela's body will lie in state at government buildings from wednesday to sunday. mandela will be laid to rest on sunday, december 15th.

two of else in an mandela's daughters of their father's death while at a movie premier in london. they got a call during the screening of mandela long walk to freedom and they insisted on letting the movie finish before telling the crowd he had died. the audience included the duke and duchess of cambridge. he described the news as tragic. to learn more g to our website. we collected statements from leaders reflecting on his death. through this morning, virginia health officials say they plan to introduce new mental health protocols and comes after the state senator's son gus stabbed him before killing himself. he attacked his father after he was sent home from a facility because he couldn't find a room to treat him. the new policy will ensure that beds are available for people

who pose a danger to themselves or to others. friends and family of nancy dunning, the late wife of former alexandria sheriff years after her death. mourners will gather in the dell rey neighborhood. she was shot to death in her home in 2003. the case remains open with a $100,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. her husband died in july of 2012. in less than an hour, people will gather at first baptist church for a memorial service to say goodbye to a radio one personality. she served as news and community affairs director until she died in a car next october. she was buried in north carolina last month. today we will look at a new smart phone ap designed to make it easier for you to speak up.

police are unveiling a see something say something ap. you will be able to use your smart phone to report activity with a photo or a text. it comes with a public service announcement that you can see in movie theaters starting today. today a change in command at the top of the u.s. police. the chief is acting and they assume the role after being commander of the homeland security division. he has been with the park police since 1991. maclanc back now to the winter weather headed in our direction. let's go to amelia segal with the latest on our forecast. >> a steady moderate rain outside the studios here and the chill is in the air. temperatures right now generally in the upper 40s across the area. that's where we will be for the

rest of the afternoon hours. we fall to a low of 37. heavy rape back into fairfax and prince william counties that will make its way through the district over the next 30 minutes and we will see rain this evening. these are preliminary numbers. veronica johnson will be in at 4:00 followed by doug at 5:00 and 6:00. continuing to update these numbers. this is an evolving system on monday. here's what storm team 4 is thinking. the d.c. metro could see a dusting to an inch of snow. there is back to the west a dusting to two inches. snow then changes over to freezing rain. minor icing is possible in washington, articling and through fairfax and northern prince georges and southern montgomery county. significant icing is possible into sunday night in areas like loudoun and northern prince willm portions of

montgomery and frederick through washington county. this icing could cause power outages and bringing down limbs and trees and like i said, we will be updating this evolving system later today. a good idea not to download the weather ap, but follow the meteorologists on twitter as we head into the weekend. next time you see me, we will look at the next seven days. >> sounds like it's really raining. a heads up with track work on all lines. the arlington station closes tonight at 10 and stays closed all weekend. if you are riding the b line, you could take a bus. meanwhile work could have you waiting up to 20 minutes. everything should be back to normal by monday morning. in less than 24 hours, you will have new transportation options. for the first time, marc will

offer service. it will cost $7 to travel from union station to station in baltimore. $6 from union station to bwi airport and $5 to go to o donton. weekly and monthly passes will be accepted. today is our second day of our 12 days of giving. even day we are spotlighting a different organization in our area that is making a difference. we are talking about the business and professional foundation and what they do. thank you both for coming. >> good morning. >> the foundation does a lot for all women, but tell us what they are doing for veterans. >> sure. as you mentioned, business and professional women's foundation is about 100 years old facilitating women in the workplace. older women and chronic illness.

this program joining forces is under two years old. serves women veterans and military and spouses and care givers of wounded warriors. connectioning them with volunteer mentors and resources on a high touch website to help facilitate the transition. you a veteran? >> no, my husband is a veteran. i'm a military spouse. >> how are they helping you? >> i got involved in september of 2013. we moved to the area a few months prior when my husband left active duty military and joined the reserves. we didn't know many people in the community. when i was looking for a job, i didn't have that local knowledge and personal relationships that are so important. that's why i was excited to work with the mentor from the area. >> how did you find them? >> i was connected to the business and professional women's foundation through

someone i knew at the military officer's association of america. >> that's one way. other ways people can find and you how can we be of help? >> absolutely. we partner with about 60 organizations, some of whom serve veterans and spouses and some are women's organization. they are connections. our website joying forces is a way anybody can find us and yes, we are looking for anyone and everyone to help us witho outreach. if you, the department the labor are all helping us and we are part of the white house joining forces. >> are you looking for mentors? >> we are looking for mentors and to reach out to women veterans and veteran spouses and care givers are wounded warriors who are earth actively looking

to help them find jobs, isolate careers and find better jobs or know that at one point they need to move in that direction and look to get a jump-start. they are mentoring plus.org. we are looking for those women and looking for volunteer working women who can help us. this is the program that is entirely working women and helping women work. we are looking for companies and partners. >> fantastic and hopefully people are listening and need your help or want to help. thank you for coming. thanks so much. >> thank you. we want to tell you that you can logon to our nbc washington website to help business and professional women's foundation. you could be paying less for cell phone service. the company offering a deal this weekend. plus a civil war exhibit that is bringing history to life. stay with us.

happening today, people across the country will cross their fingers and checking their tickets. the $291 million mega millions will happen at 1:00 tonight. if there is not a winner tonight, the jackpot will roll over bringing the pot up to about $330 million. this morning a new study shows eating healthy does not mean you are eating cheap. they looked at the prices of fruits, fish and nuts and compared them to processed foods and meats and processed grains. a day's worth of a healthy diet cost about 1.50 more a day than the less healthy meals per day. offsetting the costs would benefit the health care system. you will be able to lower the cost of your cell phone bill if

you are on at&t, you can switch to a cheaper data plan if you bring in your old phone. you pay up front in exchange for saving a few dollars on your bill. it will save you about $15 a month. a positive reaction to the jobs report on wall street. let's get the latest from hampton pearson. tell us about that. >> for looks like wall street and main street have a stronger than expected report. the dow is up. employers added 203,000 jobs? november. the unemployment rate fell to 7%. both headline numbers were better than economists and analysts predicted and a lot of those were high paying jobs in seccors like manufacturing and construction. more than 377,000 furloughed federal government workers

returned to work last month and the total number of persons employed overall increased by 818,000, the biggest monthly gain in 29 years. so says the labor department. just in time for christmas, the commerce department said consumers increased spending starting in october even though wages and salaries barely increased. consumer spending that beings for 70 percent per of activity increased in october and 1.4% for the that just ended. that is the latest data available even though income and personal savings decreased. they are buying cars and big screen tvs like clothing. we got data that the economy grew at the 3.6% rate and there was a drop in unemployment claims. it all adds up and the data showing that the economy

appearing to be getting stronger and some believe it can with stand the federal reserve. >> good news and thanks a lot. >> absolutely. >> it with pride is a new exhibit opening right now at the national gallery of art. it tells about the volunteer infantry. it was one of the first official african-american units. the gallery produced a play called forward 54. here to talk about it is the play right. good morning. you brought with you a dad low. that will come to in a moment. we won't ask them to speak. they are part of this wonderful program. i looked over the materials you have and it's unbelievable. tell us about what you wrote. >> this compliments the exhibit

what is commissioned by the education division. it brings the story to through the eyes of the four characters. one is a young drummer boy and com shaw himself. he led the regimen and usy sing taylor. >> when i look through the book that they produced for this exhibition, i was moved by the photographs of some of the black soldiers in the civil war with the massachusetts regimen. it was moving and that must have been what inspired you. >> summer and the ultimate inspiration is the sculpture by august us. the shaw memorial that celebrates the wonderful heroes. >> let's take a look at what they are ing ing to doing on th

stage. >> the sneers and pitying remarks. look at the perfect triumph of today. i see you on balcony as we pass. adieu. >> my eyes look deep when our parade passes colonel shaw's house. i see colonel shaw seated on his horse, straight as a flag pole. we march on a tree-lined street where his mama, daddy and sister and new wife stand. colonel shaw raises his sword and kisses it. funny salute. feels like he is saying goodbye for a long time. his sisters are crying, but his mama just waves. >> watch over those boys. >> father abraham has smoken and the message has been sent ♪

♪ then out the prisoners went as we go marching on ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ glory glory hallelujah as we go marching on ♪ >> beautiful. absolutely wonderful. i can't wait to see it at the national gallery. thank you all. to see this exhibit and play, you can see it saturday the seventh at 1:30 and 3:00 at the national gallery. it is now 11 time 52. it will be an important time to keep the date. you will want to know what happened. storm team 4's amelia seggal will be back with what we can expect this weekend.

. at the news 4 live desk, we are learning that president and mrs. obama will travel to south africa next week for the memorial events for nelson mandela. the first major events for wednesday. we don't have the exact schedule yet, but set for wednesday at the 90,000 seat stadium there. the president will go there and stay for the funeral service on sunday as well in south africa. that's the latest from the live desk. >> we will also learn more about plans to honor nelson mandela here in the u.s. we expect him to talk about 90 minutes from now. you see his statement live on nbcwashington.com. the committee that deciding where a casino will go is hearing from the three companies competing for the game license. the committee is holding a hearing right now in annapolis.

prince georges count you bureau chief is there and and we will have the latest this afternoon. >> the first family will flip the switch for the lighting of the national christmas tree. this is video of this morning's rehearsal, actress and comedian jane lynch is hosting and the preshow begins at 4:30. look for live coverage at 5:00 and 6:00 and on our website as well. what kind of weather will we have tonight? >> rain for the evening hours. a chilly rain will be in the 40s and a low of 37. for tomorrow, you have should go to do outside, do it tomorrow. you want to get the groceries tonight. hold off until sunday and do it tomorrow. a high of 43. for sunday, snow looks like the late morning and midday hours

and transition to all rain overnight into sunday. the biggest concern will be the freezing rain. especially for areas like frederick county and maryland. northern prince william counties. portions of western montgomery county, veronica jackson will be updating the forecast. >> we will warned. that's the news for today and this week. tune in tonight at 4, 5, 6, and 11:00. hope you plan to join us then. until then, have a great day and a terrific weekend and see you on monday. .

>> how cool is that. celebrating. it was freedom and resilience. nelson mandela remembered in his home country and throughout the world. welcome to "access hollywood live". >> i love seeing this this is what it should be. a great celebration. life well lived. meaningful life. i like the celebration factor. >> i was feeling it last